Tip helps bring one of 14 stolen parrots back home

A Colorado Springs bird enthusiast recovered one of the 14 parrots Thursday that were stolen from his home this week.

Now, David Ball wants the person who returned the Senegal parrot he calls Batman to get in touch with him again, thinking the good Samaritan may have information that could lead to the others.

If not, he'll point the police in the person's direction. "I can't play around," he said. "I need my birds." Ball, 48, got home from work Tuesday evening to find that his back door in the 2400 block of East Dale Street had been forced open and his pet collection raided.

Stray feathers and scattered birdseed suggested the birds were wrested from their cages, and Ball worries they could have been harmed in the struggle.

Many of the animals were abused or neglected before he adopted them, he said. Like any parrot, they need a specialized diet and a stable home to be healthy.

Ball retrieved Batman on Thursday after getting in contact with a woman who said a friend received the bird on the day of the burglary - but had no idea it was stolen.

The exotic animals are worth an estimated $9,000, and are not covered by homeowner's insurance; Ball said he's more concerned about their welfare.

Ball also learned that someone may have been trying to sell the animals in Fountain. He thinks one of the animals may have gotten loose - someone in Fountain called Colorado Springs police to report seeing a parrot on a roof.

Batman, who is 4 or 5 years old, suffered a swollen eye and had a cut on his leg where the bird's identification band had been cut off.

"It's not bleeding, but they did slice him, so they've definitely taken the bands off all of them," he said.

For now, Ball said he'll enjoy Batman's company while trying to get his other pets back.

"He's sitting on the back of my chair right now, preening, so he's glad to be back." 

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0366 or lance.benzel@gazette.com